Friday, March 18, 2016

WHO: Zika Virus Vectors And Risk Of Spread In The WHO European Region

#11,170

Although the recent explosion of Chikungunya, Dengue, and Zika in the Americas has raised the level of concern, for years public health agencies in Europe have worried that someday old arboviral threats - like Malaria, Dengue, and Yellow Fever - could one day return to part of Europe.

Almost on cue, in 2011, inECDC: Local Malaria Acquisition In Greece
we saw additional reasons for concern with the return of a scourge that had –
due to diligent mosquito control measures over the past 50 years – been
all but eliminated across Europe.

The largest outbreak of Zika virus disease ever recorded began in the
continental Americas in 2015. Since then, the geographical distribution
of Zika virus has steadily widened, and local transmission has been
reported broadly in the Region of the Americas.

In the European
Region, the risk of local Zika virus transmission is low during the
winter season, as the mosquito is still inactive. In late spring and
summer, the risk for spread of Zika virus increases. While A. aegypti is
the primary Zika vector, A. albopictus, which is present in 20 European
countries, has been shown to be able to transmit Zika virus and remains
a potential vector for its spread.

European countries,
especially those in which A. aegypti and A. albopictus are present, need
to be well prepared to protect their populations from the spread of
Zika virus disease and its potential neurological complications,
including microcephaly.